Psychedelic Kriya Yoga : Ancient Science of the Siddhas ~ Part 3

In Modern India there are Naga Baba sects devoted to the use of psychedelics, Ganja and Bhang. Along with yoga practices. One of the most renowned Babas was Ganesh Baba Swami Ganeshananda Gir.

In the early part of his life he was a successful and wealthy businessman. Some time after 1945 he retired from worldly life and took sanyas vows, becoming a monk in the tradition of the Naga Babas, more exactly, in the Anandakara branch of the movement founded by Shankaracharya. He received spiritual teachings from several sources, but his main spiritual practice was Kriya Yoga.

Ganesh Baba stated that he received the four Kriya Yoga initiations from Lahiri Mahasaya (at the age of four, when he was brought to Lahiri Mahasay on the verge of death from cholera), He became well-known to young Westerners visiting India in the 1960s. In the late 1970s he lived at Swayambunath (near Kathmandu) where he received many visitors and gave courses in Kriya Yoga practice.

Everyone who met him were impressed and he was held in high esteem by both Indians and Westerners. He was talkative and would spend hours regaling his listeners with what some might call 'tall tales'.

In the 70’s Ganesh Baba met Timothy Leary in Nepal and shortly after came to NYC. was true to form psychedelic Kriya yogi. He used all forms of psychedelics of the time, and was particularly fond of LSD. He was known to take outrageous amounts of mushrooms, ganja and Acid and remain present and joyful. His statement “once a psychedelic always a psychedelic” says it all. Once you have tasted the bliss and ecstasy of the psychedelic experience you are never the same. He advocated being perfectly present and a straight spine to conduct the pranic life force. He looked like Mr. Natural, a comic strip character of the 60’s. A joyful and cherubic Santa Clause.

Inspite of his ganja smoking demeanor he was a strict disciplinarian. And demanded full and perfect attention no matter how stoned your where. He also advocated the use of psychedelics only for spiritual work. And he was an ecstatic trance dancer.

Teachings of Ganesh Baba including the conscious control of prana and breath, and how to expand the consciousness and connect with universal energy.

“This is a holy plant for the Sadhus, it can give you a glimpse of the divine at work. The Kriya-technique utilizes the eye piece provided at the pineal plexus within the human cerebrum, along the cerebral-spinal channel. The individual ego-consciousness expands the Cosmic Action (Kriya) to embrace the total context of consciousness in the entire cosmos around us-the highest attainable level of consciousness which the most perfected human being can ever attain. The realization of Universal Unity results in a harmonious rapport being established between the individual and the Universal. A sense of belonging, a sense of affinity among All in the Universe wells up in the self-realized soul making for peace, happiness, bliss and beatitude.”

Ganesh Baba's teachings incorporated Western scientific concepts. He taught that there is a cyclic cosmic process of involution and evolution, and he developed a system of correspondences - a "Cycle of Synthesis" - between levels of Kriya Yoga practice, the five koshas, the planets, the kayas, the Yugas, the Chakras, the stages of organic evolution and the Jungian psychological types. He left three manuscripts and many volumes of short essays and papers. The longer manuscripts, "Search of Self," an unfinished autobiography, "Sadhana," a kriya yoga manual, and a detailed essay on his Cycle of Synthesis, are synthesized and updated as The Crazy Wisdom of Ganesh Baba, by Eve Neuhaus (2010).

In 1979 he had developed eye cataracts and was going blind. His Western followers arranged for him to visit the U.S.A. for an operation, as a result of which he recovered his sight. Since many of the young Westerners who had met him in India and Nepal were glad to have him in the U.S. he remained there for seven years, teaching Kriya Yoga to small groups on the East Coast and West Coast. He returned to India in 1986. He visited a Kriya Yoga center in France (which was established by his French followers), then went back to India. He died at Nainital on 19 November 1987, and is buried at the Alakha Nath Temple in Bareilly.

USE AND ABUSE

To lump all drugs together is unfortunate. There are good drugs or plant medicines or bad drugs which deplete and destroy the body. There are empathogens like MDMA that are useful in the psychiatric communities. New research on mushrooms shows a beneficial prolonged change in consciousness. Much more research is needed.

Bur it is easy to abuse drugs, and therefore it makes it a dangerous path that can lead to self-abuse. When you get high your boundaries collapse and your sense of judgment. I consider psychedelic drugs in a separate category they are sacraments and they should be treated as such in ancient cultures they were used for spiritual purposes only. Today they're very prevalent on the party scene and indiscriminate use. Overuse tends to stretch the body’s’ ability to heal. To larger dose can cause imbalance in the dopamine or serotonin pathways and recovery time is necessary.

Ganesh Baba had his students only use plant medicines and marijuana for spiritual purpose and practice. I agree with this. Ideally one could be able to use less and less of the medicine and have a greater and greater response as you master the conductivity of the breath and the ability to bring sacred substances to the mid brain where it has its most advantageous use. Your body mind remembers these open ecstatic states. When doing practice, you reactivate the experience and open. Eventually homeopathic doses or none at all to achieve the same result.

A brief description of yoga and the sheaths or bodies of our Being.

According to yoga, the human being is composed of several concentric bodies, or sheaths of energy consciousness, from gross to subtle levels.

1. The physical body: the material, visible part of the human being, including the body consciousness at the cellular level which acts without any mental will of our own or even against that will; it has emerged from the Inconscient, the inverse reproduction of the Supreme Superconscient.

2. The vital body: the life nature made up of desires, sensations, feelings, passions, energies of action, will of desire, possessive and other related instincts, anger, fear, greed, lust, sorrow, joy, hatred, repulsion, pride, small likings and disliking’s, etc.

3. The mental body (manas): sense mind; that part which has to do with cognition, perception through the senses, the reactions of thoughts to things, the putting out of mental forces for realization of an idea; the expression of ideas as through speech.

4. The intellectual body (buddhi): reasoning mind; that which analyzes, synthesizes and constructs ideas from signs, indications and gathered data; mind is a subordinate power of Supermind which takes its stand in the standpoint of division, actually forgetful here of the oneness behind, though able to return to it by reillumination from the Supramental (Truth Consciousness).

5. The spiritual body: the eternal true being or Self of the individual; the spiritual consciousness is that in which we enter into the awareness of self, the Spirit, the Divine

In ordinary life, the current of life moves down and through the body. The body decays and falls into the ground and becomes dust. In Kriya yoga, we reverse that process by literally raising the body into the light energizing the cells and acquiring awareness of the energy body. This process is only for a few that are moved to meditate and practice in this way.

THE PRACTICE

The practice becomes a way of life, once the search for enlightenment collapses.

A visual example of the inner movement. The centers open and Self awareness occurs spontaneously.

THE PRACTICE

I would like to at this time draw attention to the three pumps in the body and how they can facilitate the energy moving into higher centers in the brain. A side note, the brain controls many of the processes in the body such as growth, and of emotions. It is capable of the experience of Bliss... Therefore it makes sense that when blood and spinal fluid with nutrients are pumped into the brain for assimilation. Great benefits can be derived. In the practice, pressure is put on some of the ductless glands. The pineal and pituitary which control growth and subtle experience. The third eye. That being said, let's look a little closer at the three pumps.

First of all in the practice air enters the body through the mouth. But literally by the focus of our attention we feel the energy entering through the pineal gland or third eye. The energy moving down into the lower navel area. Holding the breath filling the lower abdominal region thus putting pressure on the sexual organs. This is where the first pump comes into play. The Anal sphincter muscles tighten and hold lifting up gently. For women a slight pressure on the clitoris with the folded palms. The tongue is turned back upon itself and raised at the soft palate. This locks the energy into the body and should be completely comfortable as you become an adept in the practice. The pressure is slightly felt to push down upon the sexual center or for men the prostate gland. This can induce a feeling of pleasure and heat. This feeling is felt to draw up as the air is exhaled gently. It is felt to rise up the back of the spine.

The inhalation sound is a slight houwlllll as the air is inhaled. Then houwww as exhaled. The first pump comes into play in lifting up of the anal sphincter muscles. This feels as if energy is been being lifted into the navel area. The solar plexus moves the energy in a lifting fashion. It is felt to move up into the heart central area of the body where it can be felt as a feeling of warmth, emotion and well-being an expanded sense of self. That's the second pump in the heart center (you can feel this subtle lift when you naturally breathe in your chest rises.) in the exhale you feel a slight tension in the back as the energy is consciously drawn upward. It is important as not to stress yourself in this movement. It's as natural as breathing in and breathing out. Then comes the third pump, right behind the neck muscles which hold the cranium and the medulla in place. In Taoism this is called the jade pillow.

These muscles are lifted, while the tongue is simultaneously pressed on the hard ridge inside of the mouth. This is said to be a pressure point that activates the pineal gland the third eye. This push pushes blood and spinal fluid up into the brain. During climax, ecstasy or joy these muscles move upward automatically. The first area felt is the medulla oblongata. This is the old brain and contains the pleasure centers and activates full brain rapture. Known as the Bliss sheath in yogic lore. A slight pressure is then felt in the pituitary center. This literally milks the gland so that it secretes various hormones that are beneficial to the body. Hence Kriya yoga has been use since early time for physical regeneration.

Yogis would use his practice to prolong life, so they could do austerities and tapas (spiritual disciplines,). The body is a vehicle that can be used to perceive all dimensions. We are multi dimensional. Many of these dimensions are perceived in yogic ways and in silence. Kriya yoga facilitates that process.

The best practice to be free and silence your mind forever whether it is moving or not is simple. DON’T BELIEVE YOUR THOUGHTS. They will come and go and I might ad as you move on this incredible journey don’t believe any experience as well.

You are an Amazing Being !

"I am John Krajewski, a visionary artist from back in the 60's having done posters and Album covers. The rolling stone called my cover for "Iron Butterfly Live" mystical and visionary art. My art was a way to convey the ecstasy and experiences with psychedelic Kriya Yoga. My initial discovery of Kriya Yoga occurred under LSD. I have had initiations in this Sovereign Science by Masters through out the east. In India, Indonesia, and Burma. Forms of Kriya Yoga are known in all ancient cultures. I am forever grateful and deeply respectful to all the teachers I have met. In a forthcoming blog I will share some of these encounters. I have practiced steadfastly for over 45 years with and without plant medicine. The real initiation happens as you do the practice. Kriya Yoga is the real inner teacher. It is a love affair with the Divine."